Sure, you want your clothes feeling soft and smelling nice, but the damage may not be worth it.

Whether you use liquid fabric softener or dryer sheets, fabric softeners work well at softening fibers, reducing static, and adding a bit of fragrance to your laundry. But using it on certain materials can actually have a negative effect on the fibers. Here are four times you should skip it:

1. Microfiber
What's great about microfiber is that its intricate fibers have the ability to trap dust and absorb spills. However, if you toss it in the wash with fabric softener, you could end up destroying the effectiveness and durability of its fibers.

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2. Athletic Sportswear
Many types of athletic wear have wicking technology to absorb sweat from your skin and keep you cool when you're working out. If you use fabric softener on these garments, it'll leave a coating that will prevent them from wicking.

3. Flame-Retardant Clothing
To reduce the risk that kids' sleepwear will catch on fire, it's required to be flame-resistant. Washing your children's pajamas and nightgowns with fabric softener will make them more flammable. We repeat: It will make them MORE FLAMMABLE.

4. Towels
While everyone loves to dry off with a soft towel, liquid fabric softener and dryer sheets can reduce the absorption factor of terry cloth and other fluffy fabrics.